A resolution expressing support for the designation of February 26, 2023, to March 4, 2023, as "National Fentanyl Awareness Week" and raising awareness of the negative impacts of fentanyl in the United States.

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 79 Expressing support for the designation of February 26, 2023, to March 4, 2023, as ‘‘National Fentanyl Awareness Week’’ and raising awareness of the negative impacts of fentanyl in the United States. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 27, 2023 Mr. SCOTT of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Expressing support for the designation of February 26, 2023, to March 4, 2023, as ‘‘National Fentanyl Aware- ness Week’’ and raising awareness of the negative im- pacts of fentanyl in the United States. Whereas, as of August 2022, drug overdoses during the pre- vious 12 months claimed a reported 101,552 lives in the United States; Whereas countless families in the United States are now fac- ing the unimaginable pain of losing a child, mother, fa- ther, sibling, or loved one taken by deadly, illegal fentanyl; Whereas the life expectancy in the United States has dropped to its lowest point in 2 decades, in part because of street drugs like fentanyl; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:03 Feb 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR79.IS SR79 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 79 IS Whereas fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and is considered the deadliest drug threat in the United States; Whereas drug traffickers use illicit fentanyl to produce fake and counterfeit pills; Whereas drug traffickers are using fentanyl-laced fake and counterfeit pills to exploit the opioid crisis in the United States; Whereas those illicit drugs are primarily made in secret fac- tories in Mexico with chemicals mostly from China; Whereas, without laboratory testing, there is no safe way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or pow- der; Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency has issued warnings about brightly colored fentanyl-laced pills being used to target young individuals in the United States; Whereas less than 2 milligrams is considered a deadly dose of fentanyl; Whereas the Drug Enforcement Agency announced that in 2022 alone, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized over 379,000,000 doses of potentially deadly fentanyl, enough to kill every individual in the United States, which in- cluded— (1) more than 50,600,000 fentanyl-laced pills; and (2) 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder; Whereas U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 17,000 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2022; Whereas fentanyl has also been found in street drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:03 Feb 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR79.IS SR79 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 79 IS Whereas, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl-related poisonings are currently the leading cause of death for individuals in the United States ages 18 to 49: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) applauds the work of Federal, State, and 2 local law enforcement agencies for their work in 3 combating the fentanyl crisis; 4 (2) applauds the work of treatment and recov- 5 ery organizations that help individuals with sub- 6 stance use disorder; 7 (3) encourages all individuals to only use medi- 8 cation prescribed by their physician; 9 (4) encourages individuals suffering from sub- 10 stance use disorder to seek assistance; and 11 (5) designates February 26, 2023, through 12 March 4, 2023, as ‘‘National Fentanyl Awareness 13 Week’’. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:03 Feb 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR79.IS SR79 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS